There were a few weater related delays, but we finally made it to snowy Madison. We are expecting some more snow today and Zoe is very excited to go play in some. Zoe was especially excited to see Grandma (and stuffed animals) this morning. More updates to come…

Jon Q

Hannuakah came early for us this year. Since we knew the first night would happen while we were flying, we decided to light the candles a little early. Zoe had lots of fun turning on the “Hannukah lights”, singing Happy Hannukah to you while lighting the candles (and almost blowing them out), opening her own presents, and helping open everyone else’s, too! We can’t wait for seven more nights of fun.

Jon Q

We’re heading to Madison today, where the high temperature is expected to reach a balmy 5 degrees. (That’s 47 degrees cooler than today’s San Francisco high, and that already feels pretty cold to me!) It’s also reportedly very snowy and winter-like there, so to get in the spirit, the three of us made a little Play-Doh snowman this morning. Hopefully it will warm up during our trip, and Zoe can re-create it with the real, cold stuff.

-M

Zoe was very excited this morning to go shopping. She quickly grabbed her pink jacket and then had to put on her green coat (I guess she is preparing for Madison). After putting on her hood, she was ready to go. She looked so cute, I thought I should snap a picture and share…

Jon Q

Stanford decided to close its doors for two weeks this Dec. (a result of that pesky recession), which means a nice long vacation for me. Thursday was my last day at work until Jan. 5, and I’m looking foraward to relaxing and hanging out with my family. (We’re flying to Madison tomorrow to spend time with mine; after we get back Q’s parents fly out for a vist.) I’m also, of course, thrilled for some bonding time with Zoe. A quick look at the calendar shows that this is the longest break I’ve had since my maternity leave, and I’m already loving this lengthy stretch of uninterrupted time with Z.

-M

Before Zoe was born, as many of you know, we called her Sesame. We came up with that name from BabyCenter.com, which described the baby’s progress each week. For example, in week 5 we were informed that “at this point [the baby is] about the size of a sesame seed, and she looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human.” This time we looked in week 4 and were told, “your baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed.” To keep with tradition, until we have a real name, we are calling the new baby Poppy! Since Poppy will have to learn to share with big sister we have decided to start early and share Zoe’s site. So, check back often for updates on both Zoe and Poppy!

Jon Q

Zoe has some very exciting news to share with everyone…Mommy is having a baby! Zoe can’t wait for her new little sibling to arrive in late June. We’ll know if it is a brother or sister at the end of January. In the meanwhile, Mommy is doing just fine and Zoe just loves talking about the baby and how it’s in Mommy’s tummy (see picture below for an illustration). We are all very excited!

Jon Q

As mentioned before, Zoe is always doing little art projects at Elena’s. She usually does fairly common things like finger paintings and holiday decorations, but she occasionally works on something a bit more creative. She recently came home wearing a homemade crown, and the other day she surprised us with a glittery cat mask. She was, of course, more than happy to show it off.

-M

Like a lot of her little friends, Zoe loves the Muni (streetcar); she often points in excitement and says “choo-choo” when she sees one rolling down the street. And she’s been especially fond of the Muni since seeing Q jump on one a few weeks ago – now she knows it’s something that takes her dad to and from home.

The other evening, while we were playing quietly and waiting for Q to come home for dinner, Zoe looked up at me and said, “Daddy coming?” “In a little while,” I told her. “He’s at work right now.” She thought for a moment and then nodded her head. “Daddy choo-choo,” she said with a knowing smile. I couldn’t help but smile, too.

-M

I’ve mentioned before that Zoe loves company. We saw this again over the weekend, when she was visited by my best friend Angela (in town from Madison for the weekend) and, on Sunday, Dan and Jenny. Zoe was literally bouncing throughout the house as she cried out, “Ahn-gela, Ahn-gela!” nonstop on Sunday morning. (She also spent quite a bit of time getting ready with Ang in the bathroom.) Later, when us girls were out shopping, she was entertained by Dan – and I was told that she was constantly yelling out, “Uncle Dan, come here!” when she wanted him to play.

Dan and Jenny went home last night, and Ang headed out early this morning, so the house must seem pretty quiet to Zoe. I know she’s looking forward to the next visitors/playmates to arrive!

-M

Today was one of the few chilly days we get out here in San Francisco and we decided to light a fire. I think this is the first time we have done this since Zoe began talking. She loved lying around the fire and naming all the colors she saw. We even roasted marshmellows, but she wasn’t up for eating them. I’m sure that will change some day, but for now I was ok with eating them all.

Jon Q

Zoe has hit the age where she repeats everything – something that was made clear the other night. She was asking for something in a very two-year-old way (“I want more, I want more, I want more”), and I was trying to show her a more polite way to make a request. “Zoe,” I said, “can you say, ‘I would like more, please?'” She looked at me and answered, “please.” “That’s good,” I said, “but can you can say it all together?” “Together,” she replied. “No, I mean, can you say it as a whole sentence?” I asked her. “Whole sentence,” she said back to me. I just had to laugh. At least she was trying!

-M

Because Zoe wasn’t feeling well over the weekend, she spent a lot of time lounging around and watching TV. (She doesn’t normally watch tons of television, but we like to bend the rules when she’s not feeling well.) “Go Baby” is still a favorite show of hers, and I grabbed the camera when she started singing along to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” during one of the episodes. And I’m glad I caught her post-song “dancing;” even when sick, she can’t stop wiggling around!

-M

Zoe got sick over the weekend: she had a stomach bug on Sat. and a fairly high fever on Sun. (Let’s just say that Sat. night was not a fun one.) When things are normal I tend to forget how disruptive/tough it is to have a sick kid. It leads to less sleep for us, of course – but more importantly, the whole house feels so sad. Seeing your normally bouncy, active child just sort of sit there is kind of depressing – as is hearing her moan in her sleep.

Luckily, Zoe had a better night last night, and she is on the road to recovery today. (“I feel better,” she told me when I scooped her up this morning.) And here’s hoping we don’t have another bout of illness for awhile!

-M

Last weekend, the three of us watched the animated movie Kung Fu Panda. Zoe took an immediate liking to it and talked about “panda” for days afterward. (She even started sleeping with one of her little panda stuffed animals.) Fast forward to the other night, when we were all in the car and Zoe suddenly cried out, “Daddy, look, look, LOOK – panda!!” I turned around to see what she was referring to, and – sure enough – there was a Kung Fu Panda movie poster hanging in a video store window. It was far enough away that I’m not sure how she was able to spot it, but she was really excited… And Q and I are still laughing about it.

-M